Isis - Oceanic
2002 - Ipecac Recordings
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Ipecac Recordings website.
There comes a time, I'm sure, in every album reviewer's life, that they are presented with an album of such staggering beauty, such indescribale purity and clarity of intent and of purpose, that the critical faculties become overwhelmed and all they can do, rather than analyse and evaluate, is simply absorb and appreciate.
For this reviewer, this time has come. Oceanic is possibly the best, most appropriate album title Isis could have come up with for this body of work, since the album has the undeniable pull and influence of ocean currents, insistent and forceful yet almost inexplicably pleasing and satisfying to finally surrender to. It isn't an album in the usual sense of a collection of disparate songs, more the soundtrack to the tides split into movements, seperate in themselves but inseperable from the whole - which, as a result, means that this is an album that cannot be delved into lightly but must be digested completely, from start to finish, to be properly appreciated.
The nearest sonic comparison I can come up with for the sound of Oceanic is latter-day Neurosis with added hardcore fury, which as a description only gives some idea of the utterly compelling, hypnotically alluring sound that Isis create. On Oceanic, they have stripped-down the intensity of previous full-length Celestial and concentrated on creating an album that is dense and heavy not through volume of riffs, but through textural complexity and mastery of the push-and-pull of non-linear song dynamics.
Picking out highlight tracks is a near impossible task due to the interwoven nature of the album - the sonic themes and structuring throughout seem to bring to mind the changing tides and weathers that affect an ocean - but in that respect, it could be said that 'The Other' serves its purpose as a sonic illustration of the passing of a violent storm, with the calm introduction followed by mass turbulence created by continent-sized riffs and harsh, tortured screams counterpointed with acoustic melodicisms (the eye of the storm and the calm afterwards) while the epic, ten-minute long 'Weight' is something of a summary of everything that has gone before.
Oceanic is, to this reviewer, the most significant, intelligent, captivating and enthralling metal album ever released. It does take some effort and dedication on the part of the listener to get into, but once that initial effort is rewarded, you'll find yourself sinking under Oceanic's surface, pulled away willingly by the current, and better off for it. Go buy it, right away.
10/10 (if only because I couldn't find a moebius strip)
2002 - Ipecac Recordings
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Ipecac Recordings website.
There comes a time, I'm sure, in every album reviewer's life, that they are presented with an album of such staggering beauty, such indescribale purity and clarity of intent and of purpose, that the critical faculties become overwhelmed and all they can do, rather than analyse and evaluate, is simply absorb and appreciate.
For this reviewer, this time has come. Oceanic is possibly the best, most appropriate album title Isis could have come up with for this body of work, since the album has the undeniable pull and influence of ocean currents, insistent and forceful yet almost inexplicably pleasing and satisfying to finally surrender to. It isn't an album in the usual sense of a collection of disparate songs, more the soundtrack to the tides split into movements, seperate in themselves but inseperable from the whole - which, as a result, means that this is an album that cannot be delved into lightly but must be digested completely, from start to finish, to be properly appreciated.
The nearest sonic comparison I can come up with for the sound of Oceanic is latter-day Neurosis with added hardcore fury, which as a description only gives some idea of the utterly compelling, hypnotically alluring sound that Isis create. On Oceanic, they have stripped-down the intensity of previous full-length Celestial and concentrated on creating an album that is dense and heavy not through volume of riffs, but through textural complexity and mastery of the push-and-pull of non-linear song dynamics.
Picking out highlight tracks is a near impossible task due to the interwoven nature of the album - the sonic themes and structuring throughout seem to bring to mind the changing tides and weathers that affect an ocean - but in that respect, it could be said that 'The Other' serves its purpose as a sonic illustration of the passing of a violent storm, with the calm introduction followed by mass turbulence created by continent-sized riffs and harsh, tortured screams counterpointed with acoustic melodicisms (the eye of the storm and the calm afterwards) while the epic, ten-minute long 'Weight' is something of a summary of everything that has gone before.
Oceanic is, to this reviewer, the most significant, intelligent, captivating and enthralling metal album ever released. It does take some effort and dedication on the part of the listener to get into, but once that initial effort is rewarded, you'll find yourself sinking under Oceanic's surface, pulled away willingly by the current, and better off for it. Go buy it, right away.
10/10 (if only because I couldn't find a moebius strip)
